The PHILIPPINE FOOTBALL FEDERATION (PFF) would like to lodge a formal complaint with your organization for the racist, discriminatory, libelous and malicious statements of your Program Host, ARNOLD CLAVIO and his other co-hosts, during the nationwide broadcast of your News & Public Affairs Program “Unang Hirit” last 13 March 2012.

Your TV Host ARNOLD CLAVIO’s declarations that the members of the Philippine Men’s National Football Team “are not Filipinos” and “are only pretending to be Filipinos” are not only libelous and defamatory to the good name and reputation of the PFF and the Filipino players comprising the Men’s National Team now playing with their hearts for “flag and country” at the AFC Challenge Cup in Kathmandu, Nepal. They are also verbal statements of a racist nature and constitute malicious, contemptuous, discriminatory and denigratory remarks concerning race and origin that offend the dignity of the Filipino players and Filipinos who are similarly situated.

ARNOLD CLAVIO has made those scathing and offensive remarks with reckless disregard of the truth or falsity of his statements. In association football, only citizens of the country can be a member of the Representative “A” Team of the country, i.e., its National Team. In making his scurrilous statements, CLAVIO made it appear that PFF has selected persons who are not Filipino citizens to be members of and play for the Philippine National Team. This subjects all Philippine National Teams (not only the Men’s National Team) to doubts by international organizations, spectators and opposing national teams as to the Filipino citizenship, and therefore eligibility, of the Philippine team players. It also puts the name and reputation of the Philippines and the PFF in disrepute. CLAVIO obviously does not know (and neither he nor your program staff did not care to check) that only Filipinos can play in the Philippine National Football Team. Indeed, weeks prior to any international tournament a country has to submit to the organizer a list of its National Team players with proof of their citizenship or nationality (e.g. passports).

The members of the Philippine National Team now playing in Nepal at the AFC Challenge Cup are Filipinos just like your Unang Hirit hosts Arnold Clavio, Rhea Santos, Connie Sison and Lyn Ching-Pascual. Some of the current members of the Philippine Men’s Football Team have either a Filipina mother or a Filipino father, thus qualifying them to be natural-born Filipino citizens. One can notice the obvious discomfort of even CLAVIO’s co-host Lyn Ching-Pascual when he confidently uttered the words “Hindi naman kayo Pilipino. Nagpapanggap lang kayong kayumanggi….”

ARNOLD CLAVIO also discriminates against the Philippine national team players who, for one reason or another, grew up or partly grew up outside the Philippines when he uttered the words “Hindi kayo dito lumaki”. This constitutes disparaging and demeaning remarks against Filipino children of Filipinos who are compelled by circumstances to work and live abroad with their children. His bias against Filipinos who grew up abroad is utterly shocking and is not expected to be blurted out by a TV host of your respected and reputable organization. Many Filipinos, including our own President Benigno S. Aquino, partly grew up abroad by force of circumstances. Are they less Filipino than those who grew up entirely in the Philippines?

After uttering the above-stated libelous, racist and discriminatory remarks, and after obviously reading an idiot board or reminder from somebody (not covered by the camera), ARNOLD CLAVIO, congratulated the team and wished them luck during their next game so they could qualify for the semifinals of the Challenge Cup, a situation which CLAVIO himself admitted is seldom attained ‘”by the Philippines”. Nonetheless, the unquantifiable damage and injury to the PFF and the Philippine Men’s National Football Team has already been inflicted by the scurrilous and discriminatory words emanating from your TV host ARNOLD CLAVIO.

As you are aware, the matter of sexual harassment complaint by Cristina Ramos against Philippine players Lexton Moy and Angel Guirado is now pending before the PFF Disciplinary Committee which has primary jurisdiction over the complaint. While your organization may report news concerning the matter, we and the public expect that no racist, discriminatory, sexist, or disparaging remarks that offend the dignity of persons or organizations or maliciously defame persons or organizations are made by your hosts and reporters.

We thus lodge this complaint and protest with GMA NETWORK, INC. and demand that, (i) your organization impose, after requisite proceedings, the appropriate sanction on your TV host ARNOLD CLAVIO; (ii) your organization and/or ARNOLD CLAVIO rectify, among others, his discriminatory, racist and libelous assertions that members of the Philippine Men’s National Football Team are not Filipinos and are only pretending to be Filipinos; and, (iii) your organization and/or ARNOLD CLAVIO issue a written apology to the PFF and the Philippine Men’s National Football Team which should also be forthwith read and given prominence in your News & Public Affairs TV program, “Unang Hirit”.

We are thankful that in one way or another, your organization has helped in the promotion of football in the Philippines. We all know that encouraging the Filipino youth to engage in sports in general or play football in particular contributes to nation-building. We however strongly protest the previously cited statements of your Unang Hirit Hosts ARNOLD CLAVIO and RHEA SANTOS.Very truly yours,

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